Alpine Township Project

THE CHALLENGE

The greater Grand Rapids area is undergoing a transformation related to business expansion.

Not only are more companies locating in Michigan’s second largest city, but many existing companies are expanding. Industrial vacancy rates remain low at 2.5 percent, with 825,000 square feet of new industrial space coming online in 2024. The region’s population grew by six percent, with nearly 4,300 new tech jobs added to the region since 2021.

Along with that expansion is an increased need for electricity in the area. Alpine Township, located five minutes north of Grand Rapids, housed a substation (Four Mile) that needed expansion to support increased area electrical needs.

THE SOLUTION

To address those electrical needs, ITC decommissioned the Four Mile 138 kV station and built a new substation, Northridge, approximately 2.65 miles to the west.

Additionally, ITC redirected all circuits currently at the Four Mile 138 kV station into the new Northridge 138 kV station and connected Consumer Energy’s existing stepdown transformers with radial feeds into the new Northridge station.

Finally, ITC rebuilt 8.38 miles of 138kV line, installed Optical Ground Wire, (which combines shielding and communication functions, providing improved communication speed and reliability of the lines,) along the rebuilt sections and replaced approximately 50 lattice structures with monopoles, which allows for much easier farming in the area.